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Apple has tapped astronomer Carl Sagan to make a statement about the planet—and a recent decision by President Donald Trump.
The tech giant late on Wednesday published a new ad simply called, “Earth.” The one-minute ad—part of the company’s broader “Shot on iPhone” campaign to promote the company’s smartphone camera prowess—is narrated by Sagan, who’s reciting quotes from his book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. The excerpt describes the importance of Earth and its uniqueness in space, and calls on humans to take care of the planet.
“The Earth is the only world known so far to harbor life,” Sagan says in the ad, which features images of places across the world iPhone owners captured from their devices. He continues:
There is nowhere else, at least in the near future, to which our species could migrate. Like it or not, for the moment the Earth is where we make our stand. It underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another and to preserve and cherish the only home we’ve ever known.
The ad comes just days after President Donald Trump made the controversial decision to remove the U.S. from the Paris Accord, an initiative by countries around the world to reduce pollution and other human-related causes to climate change.
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Following the decision, Apple (AAPL) CEO Tim Cook was one of the more outspoken Trump critics, and said that he urged the President to keep the U.S. in the pact. Cook said Trump’s decision was “wrong” and “not in the best interests of the United States.”
Cook said earlier this week in an interview with Bloomberg that he would remain on as an advisor to the president to push for responsible climate change policies.


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Cyber Security Month 2022
Every year, University of Toronto hosts a tri-campus community Cyber Security Month campaign to raise awareness and educate staff, faculty and students about how to keep themselves secure in the digital space.
This page contains 2022 campaign related blog posts, tips, digital assets and additional resources about online safety.
Articles and blog posts
- Ransomware: An online menace
- Data classification: Using a risk-based approach for data protection
- University of Toronto’s new Information Security Standard
- What you need to know about dealing with information security incidents
- Enable multi-factor authentication to stay secure
- Four online safety tips for students going back to school
Digital assets for internal partners
Digital media assets including social media graphics and virtual backgrounds for Cyber Security Month are available to partners and communicators within the U of T community via SharePoint.
This year, the government of Ontario’s Cyber Month campaign theme is Cyber Galaxy Defenders: Managing Digital Risks. The campaign focuses on examining how employees and organizations can defend themselves against cyber attacks in the modern digital age.
- Government of Canada Cyber Month 2022 campaign
- Federal campaign champion toolkit
- Social media safety
- Secure your accounts
- Secure your devices
For more cyber security resources, visit the Get Cyber Safe website.

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Samsung is upcycling older Galaxy series smartphones to help underprivileged communities around the world gain access to better eyecare in their Galaxy Upcycling programme.
In collaboration with the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB) and Yonsei University Health System (YUHS), in Korea, Samsung is creating medical devices that use Galaxy smartphones that are no longer in use to create medical devices that help screen for eye disease.
“People around the globe face barriers to accessing fundamental health care, and we saw an opportunity to engineer smart, innovative solutions that reuse products to drive more sustainable practices and make a positive impact in our communities,” said Sung-Koo Kim, VP of Sustainability Management Office, Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics.
“This programme embodies Samsung’s belief that technology can enrich people’s lives and help us build a more equitable and sustainable future for all.”
Samsung Galaxy Upcycling and the EYELIKE fundus camera
A Galaxy series smartphone, even an older one remains a remarkably sophisticated piece of hardware indeed with excellent cameras which is why they are ideal to become part of the EYELIKE fundus camera to capture images of a patient’s eye.
The powerful processor that is the core of a Galaxy series phone is able to use an AI algorithm to diagnose images for ophthalmic diseases and then connect to an app which is able to capture patient data and subsequently suggest a diagnosis – all at a fraction of the cost of commercial instruments.
To date, this collaboration between Samsung, IAPB and YUHS as part of the Galaxy Upcycling campaign has benefitted the lives of more than 19,000 people in Vietnam. In 2019, this powerful team-up saw 90 portable ophthalmoscopes supplied to health professionals in remote regions of Vietnam without access to walk-in clinics. THe programme is being expanded to India, Morocco and Papua New Guinea.
“We were looking for an eye health diagnosis solution that was cost-effective to reach as many people as possible, and when we saw the performance of Samsung’s Galaxy smartphones, we wanted to integrate their upcycling efforts into our research,” said Dr. Sangchul Yoon of Yonsei University Health System.
“The combination of using multiple optical technologies and artificial intelligence, coupled with camera performance of a Galaxy smartphone, created an affordable medical device that was just as capable as a fundus camera used by medical professionals. This not only solved a health issue, but a growing environmental concern as well,” adds Dr. Yoon.
“As the world slowly recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more evident than ever that technology can be deployed as an eye health solution. In the countries where the EYELIKE Platform is trialled, difficult terrain, long distances and remote populations all contribute to the need for technology to help us connect and improve access to care,” said Drew Keys, Western Pacific Region (WPR) Coordinator at the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness (IAPB).
“IAPB is very pleased that Samsung is working closely with its member organisations to pilot these solutions. Working with Samsung allows our member organisations to deliver technology in pilot countries and build cooperative and constructive relationships in these regions,” adds Keys. For more on Samsung’s initiatives to create a better world, check out their official page at http://news.samsung.com


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The Leesburg Economic Development Commission will host a Small Business Forum on Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the Ida Lee Park Recreation Center from 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
Small business owners and representatives are invited to discuss issues relating to the local business community in a casual, interactive, roundtable format. Topics will include parking in the downtown; leveraging the town’s growing food and entertainment sectors; fostering a shop local environment; and how to better engage with those who visit Leesburg.
An update from the EDC on the accomplishments surrounding these focus areas during the past six months will be provided. Input is encouraged on future implementation.
Participants are asked to register online here. The forum is free to attend.


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LimeWire Issued Injunction on File-Sharing Software
From now on, it seems that the end of LimeWire is about quickly.
Today, the U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood issued an injunction against the company operating the giant file-sharing software, ordering them to turn off “the search, downloading, uploading, file sharing … and / or all the functionality” of the software.
Wood also has previously granted summary trial for the music industry in May, when it filed suit against LimeWire and its parent company in case of copyright infringement, participation in unfair competition, and inducing a breach of copyright.
According to CNET, recently LimeWire spokesman issued a statement saying: “While this is not our ideal way, hope to work with the music industry in moving forward. We hope that includes the necessary changes and work with the entire music industry in the future. ”
LimeWire also announced that from now will still exist but no longer function as a file-sharing service. However, no plans were discussed for the future.


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In the course of the hockey year there are few moments as hotly anticipated as the release of the latest edition in EA SPORTS' NHL series. In 2012 that event comes Tuesday when EA's NHL '13 hits the shelves across Canada and the United States.
Follow @NHL & @EASPORTSNHL this week for your chance to win autographed EA SPORTS NHL swag, including copies of NHL 13. Don't forget to use #NHL13Launch in your tweets to be eligible to win.
Rather than forcing gamers to wait until stores open Tuesday, EA SPORTS will be marking the event with official Midnight Launch Parties across Canada on Monday night, which will give fans the chance to play the game before it is officially released at midnight, participate in free swag giveaways and meet featured NHL players, who will be autographing limited edition team-specific NHL 13 cover sleeves. Launch parties will be held at EB Games stores in six of the seven Canadian cities that are home to NHL teams, while a Midnight Launch Party will also be held in Montreal at Super VideoTron.
NHL 13 is said by EA to reach a new level of in-game authenticity, in large part due to, among other innovations, its "True Performance Skating engine," which takes the physics of ice skating into account when developing new animations for player movement. As well, NHL 13 will feature a revamped Hockey Ultimate Team interface that gives gamers the ability to build teams composed of thousands of different players throughout NHL history and from numerous leagues around the world.
More information regarding NHL 13 Official Midnight Launch Parties, including specific EB Games locations, can be found at www.easports.com/nhl.


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Welcome to the Snowmad Life
Remote workers are flocking to warmer destinations for the winter months. Should you join them?
With the flexibility to work from anywhere this winter, Christopher Norton moved from New York to the San Diego area.
“I love the winter months when I’m skiing on a mountain, and dislike them in everyday life when I trudge through the cold NYC tundra and step into another slush pile,” says Norton, who works in the financial industry as a UX researcher.
So, he’s spent the winter months booking Airbnbs near the beach via a discounted monthly rental model. Since he’s still working East Coast hours, Norton gets to end the day with a sunny afternoon workout or surf session.
Welcome to the snowmad life.
Flocking to warmer destinations during the winter, a migratory pattern once reserved for retirees, is now something realistic for remote workers who have the option to work from wherever they please.
“An increasing number of digital nomads have decided to join in the snowbird migration since they realized they can work from anywhere, so why not do it from places with warm weather and plenty of beaches and natural parks?” says Maria Gatea, a senior editor with STORAGECafe© who wrote a piece on snowbirds’ destinations.
STORAGECafe©, which provides listings for self-storage facilities, analyzed snowbird trends for 2020-21, predicting that there would be fewer Canadian snowbirds in this year’s migratory pattern, but more younger and remote-working American ones.
To put it another way? Remote workers aren’t waiting until retirement to flock to warmer destinations in the winter. Here’s a look at the emerging trend.
Hotels Adapt to Snowmad Lifestyles
COVID-19 is reshaping work-life boundaries in unprecedented ways, and it’s prompted many to re-evaluate where they live: According to an Ipsos survey, 42 percent of people have either moved or considered moving since March 2020.
It’s simply too soon to definitively call the snowmad lifestyle a trend because this is the first winter wherein remote work has become a widespread norm. But there are a lot of anecdotes hinting that seeking sunny destinations to work from in the winter is one COVID relocation trend that remote workers are, well, warming to.
The Atlantic Hotel & Spa on Fort Lauderdale Beach, an all-suite beachfront hotel, has seen a significant increase in long-term stay bookings this past fall and winter, with 20 percent of rooms booked for 14 nights or more and 10 percent of guests booking extended stays of 30 nights or more.
“Having seen an influx of guests staying for over a month during the wintertime, I foresee this trend extending into the summer months and well past the pandemic,” says Samuel Atwood, general manager of The Atlantic Hotel & Spa, a Charlestowne Hotels managed property. “Hotels everywhere will continue to adjust their offerings to cater to guests navigating this new world.”
Vrbo, a vacation rental marketplace, tells us snowmads are flocking to vacation homes in warm, sunny destinations like Arizona, California and Florida, and many are staying for 15 or more days.
Is the Snowmad Trend Here to Stay?
It’s not just single digital nomads who are interested in the snowmad experience. Gatea says she’s noticing families giving it a go, too, as parents work remotely and their children are enrolled in e-learning. Go ahead and call them a flock of “zoombirds,” another buzzword that’s catching on, she says.
For some, the snowmad life comes in a hybrid form. Chicagoan Janet Mandell, for instance, has booked several extended stay months at AKA West Hollywood in Los Angeles, where she’s enjoying the warmer weather and has opened a fashion rental showroom for her high-end designer rental business. From the sunnier locale, her kids can do their remote learning poolside.
While it’s hard to predict if the snowmad trend is here to stay, it’s giving some a chance to test-run cities they’ve always wanted to live in.
Norton says he’s aware of how lucky he is to enjoy some West Coast warmth and have a job while the vaccination timeline is ironed out and his employer decides how and when to reopen its office.
“If your employer is willing to let you work elsewhere temporarily, then it’s an opportunity to live in ‘that destination’ that you’d always hoped to check out, so shopping around for short-term rentals or furnished Airbnbs are a great option to consider until (hopefully) things return to a new normal,” Norton says.


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eXelate Ranked Top 20 Internet and 86th Overall Fastest Growing Company in North America on Deloitte's 2013 Technology Fast 500™
November 13, 2013
NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwired - Nov 13, 2013) - eXelate, the leading smart data and analytics engine powering smarter digital marketing decisions, today announced it ranked 86th on Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™, a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. eXelate grew 2,129 percent during this period.
eXelate's Chief Executive Officer, Mark S. Zagorski credits the strong growth to the company's innovative new products, including consumer insights terminal eXelate optiX™, along with proven momentum and customer success with its existing suite of smart data products like the eXelate eXchange™ and eXelate conneX™, its enterprise data management solution that has attracted partners like Nielsen.
"We've had a great year and, with this award recognition, it keeps getting better," said Mark S. Zagorski. "Recognized as a Top 20 company in the Internet sector of The Deloitte Technology Fast 500 inspires all of us here at eXelate to continue our promise to provide the industry with innovative data and analytics products to empower digital advertisers and drive more effective marketing."
"The 2013 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 companies are exemplary cases of those spurring growth in a tough market through innovation," said Eric Openshaw, vice chairman, Deloitte LLP and U.S.technology, media and telecommunications leader. "This year's list is a who's who of companies behind the most exciting and innovative products and services in the technology space. We congratulate the Fast 500 companies and look forward to what they do next." "The fastest growing companies in the US are drivers of constant innovation and operate with the agility to stay ahead of a quickly evolving marketplace, and software, biotech/pharma and internet companies continue to be at the forefront," added James Atwell, national managing partner of the Emerging Growth Company practice, Deloitte Services LP. "The companies excelling in these sectors have a startup mentality that allows them to be nimble and adapt quickly, which is why they consistently lead the list of fast-growing companies each year."
About eXelate eXelate is the smart data company that powers smarter digital marketing decisions worldwide for marketers, agencies, platforms, publishers and data providers. eXelate's smart data platform provides accurate, actionable, and agile data and analytics on online household demographics, purchase intent, and behavioral propensities. Through the collection of trillions of directly measured online data points and distribution partnerships with information leaders such as Nielsen, Nielsen Catalina, MasterCard Advisors, Bizo, and more, eXelate makes online, offline, and custom modeled data sets actionable across 700M online consumers worldwide. As members of the NAI, IAB, trustE, Council for Accountable Advertising, and Evidon's Open Data Partnership, eXelate is a leader in privacy compliant advertising practices. For more information, please visit http://www.exelate.com or follow @eXelate.
About Deloitte's 2013 Technology Fast 500™ Technology Fast 500, conducted by Deloitte LLP, provides a ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies -- both public and private -- in North America. Technology Fast 500 award winners are selected based on percentage fiscal year revenue growth from 2008 to 2012.
In order to be eligible for Technology Fast 500 recognition, companies must own proprietary intellectual property or technology that is sold to customers in products that contribute to a majority of the company's operating revenues. Companies must have base-year operating revenues of at least $50,000 USD or CD, and current-year operating revenues of at least $5 million USD or CD. dditionally, companies must be in business for a minimum of five years, and be headquartered within North America.


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Includes 3 FREE quarterly updates
BMI View: We maintain our cautious outlook for a recovery in the Romanian agricultural industry in 2012 on the back of continued weakness in private consumption and supply-related issues. Freezing temperatures and dry ground are threatening crops, and poor investment management is holding the industry back. Over the longer term, however, we hold a relatively positive outlook on the Romanian consumer, largely owing to the country's large population and low base effects. We expect the poultry and dairy sectors to be particularly well placed to benefit from these dynamics over our forecast period to 2016.
Key Forecasts - Milk consumption growth to 2016: 9.6% to 5.5mn tonnes. Milk consumption, forecast to reach 16kg per capita by 2016, will still be starkly lower than the European average of 75kg per capita, suggesting much more room for consumption upside.
- Wheat production growth to 2015/16: 18.8% to 8.5mn tonnes. Growth will be buoyed by EU agricultural subsidies, foreign investment and increased plantings in response to higher prices.
- Pork production growth to 2015/16: 11.5% to 282,600 tonnes. The lifting of a ban on pork exports to the EU poses upside risks to this growth outlook.
- 2012 GDP growth: 1.0% (down from 2.5% in 2011) - 2012 end-year consumer price inflation: 3.3% (down from 8.0% in 2011) Key Industry Developments In May 2012, new health minister Vasile Cepoi revealed the government's plans to introduce a fast-food tax in Romania in order to supplement incomes in the health care system and also help to curb health problems. The idea was first floated by the government in February 2010 but was delayed. If implemented, the tax will put downside pressure on our already cautious outlook for sugar demand in the country. Indeed, our core scenario for the sugar industry envisages consumption slowly declining as greater awareness about health issues encourages people to seek healthier alternatives to high-sugar and high-fat foods.
In the same month, the directorate-general for health and consumers of the European Commission decided to lift the ban on chicken meat imported from Thailand. The ban had been effective since 2004 in response to the outbreak of avian flu in Asia. We do not expect the lifting of the ban to affect local producers, as they are focused on the fresh chicken market and are protected by strict marketing standards. The entry of Thai poultry products on the EU market could decrease Brazilian and Argentine companies' market share of the EU's non-fresh chicken market, which they have been dominating since 2004.
In February 2012, Romanian dairy producer Covalact opened a EUR1.1mn logistics centre in Sfantu Gheorghe. The firm plans to spend a further EUR4mn over the coming years to boost capacity and launch new products. In December 2011 Israeli dairy producer Tnuva pulled out of the country after having invested EUR60mn in its business there. Tnuva had intended to use Romania as one of its launch pads for international expansion, establishing a system from milk production through distribution under the Tnuva and Yoplait labels. While Covalact's investment can be viewed positively and its timing perhaps more fortuitous than Tnuva's, it is nevertheless much less significant compared with the Israeli company's original investment. The demise of Tnuva's Romanian story perhaps points to a business environment that still holds pitfalls for the foreign investor.


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Calvin McDonald, the former CEO of Sears Canada, just resigned his post to be come the CEO of Sephora, a colossus in the beauty retail field.
McDonald has been at Sears at since June 2011. His resignation came as a surprise to many, especially given his prominent role in crafting the retailers’ halting turnaround plan.
McDonald is widely credited with spearheading Sears’ efforts to sell off some of its bestselling locations in Canada to raise capital, often extracting payments from landlords in search of higher paying tenants.
The store closings are part of nationwide trend for Sears, which has been shuttering locations quietly in both the US and Canada. Over the last eighteen months, Sears has sold almost a dozen stores, some of them admittedly among their best money makers. Some have noted that this an unconventional strategy since retailers typically invest more money into their top performing locations, rather than unload them. Robert Futterman, chief executive of RFK, a realtor which specializes in leases to retailers, said, “Retailers invest in their best stores and refurbish them, they don’t sell them.”
Of course, a dozen locations comprise a miniscule fraction of Sears’ massive holdings, with more than 2,000 stores in the US and another 148 scattered about Canada. Still, the sale of profit-generating stores is evidence of its straitened circumstances; while the better locations are more lucrative pieces of realty to move, such a strategy obviously diminishes the company’s ability to make more money by moving product. Also, worried investors are left wondering why other avenues for further capitalization are foreclosed to Sears. Even in its harrowed state, JC Penny managed to raise a billion dollars without cutting itself off from future centers of profit.
Some industry experts have speculated that Eddie Lampert was originally attracted to Sears precisely because of the value of its real estate. One of Sears’ investors, Baker Street Capital, issued a report recently that the retailer’s 350 remaining locations were collectively worth $7.3 billion. Consider that Sears’ total market capitalization is approximately $600 million.
Sears has struggled in Canada, particularly since Target and Wal-Mart have established a more significant presence there, with plans for even greater encroachment in the future.
In a statement to the press delivered October 24, Christopher de Lapuente, chief executive at Sephora, called McDonald a “visionary and highly talented industry leader.”


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MEMS sensors and actuators made are expected to grow about 16% in 2021 to a record-high $15.9 billion after an 11% increase in 2020, according to IC Insights’ 2021 O-S-D Report—A Market Analysis and Forecast for Optoelectronics, Sensors/Actuators, and Discretes.
Total sales of MEMS-based pressure sensors, microphone chips, accelerometers, gyroscope devices, and actuators are expected to increase annually by double-digit percentages until 2024, when the next cyclical economic slowdown is expected to cut growth to 4%, followed by a 9% rebound in 2025.
Recovery growth in MEMS-based sensor/actuator products surged in the second half of 2020 when manufacturers quickly began to refill inventories after seeing signs of stabilization and recovery in key end-use markets.
Between 2020 and 2025, sales of MEMS-based sensors and actuators are expected to increase by a CAGR of 11.8% to $24.1 billion with shipments rising by a CAGR of 13.4% to 32.1 billion units (Figure 1),
Around half of the semiconductor sensors and nearly all actuators sold each year contain MEMS transducer structures and circuit functions to perform their jobs in end-use applications.
In 2020, about 83% of sales in the total $16.5 billion sensor/actuator market came from devices built with MEMS technology.
About 55% of the total 30.9 billion sensors and actuators shipped worldwide in 2020 contained MEMS.
Approximately 44% of sales in MEMS-based sensors and actuators are generated annually by automotive applications.


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It’s highly unlikely that you would ever hear about a shopping enthusiast that has never shopped at ZALORA – the famous e-commerce shopping site in South-East Asia. Zalora has now teamed up with the Fashionably KL Pop-Up Shopping Bazar to get their pop-up stores up and running at Avenue K and Lot 10 Kuala Lumpur.
This is not the first time that ZALORA opened a click-and-mortar store. Previously, we covered its physical pop-up store at ION Orchard, Singapore in October. Other than that, we also covered ZALORA’s click-and-mortar store at Gurney Plaza in Penang Island, early this year.
This is great news for people who’d like to shop for clothes and shoes. These pop-up stores allow you to get a taste of the merchandise that you’d like to buy and you don’t have to risk spending money on something that wouldn’t suit your taste later on.
Giulio Xiloyannis, Managing Director of ZALORA Malaysia said “opening pop-up stores has always been exciting for us, and through these new stores, we hope to deliver a new shopping experience to patrons of Avenue K and Lot 10.”
Popular in-house labels like the ZALORA Label, ZALIA, Something borrwed, 24:01, among others will be included. The stores are also equipped with 3 iMacs to present shoopers with the option of making a purchase through the official ZALORA website as well.
If you missed the one in Avenue K, it’s alright because you can still head to the pop-up stores at Lot 10 which will be open from the 4th till the 10th of June.


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Smart home devices are being hit with more cyberattacks than ever
After setting up honeypots to lure cybercriminals, Kaspersky has learned more about where IoT attacks originate and how many devices have become part of botnets.This figure is seven times higher that the number found in H1 2018 when only around 12m attacks originating from 69,000 IP addresses were detected.
UL said that it's working with IoT makers and that the standards are still in the early stages. It expects to be able to make more announcements in the first UL doesn't expect to see changes overnight for IoT security , either. The hope is that as the UL security ratings gain traction, people will be more
Internet of Things -connected devices are indisputably changing how we work and live. IoT devices are connected to the Internet and can be installed in cars, oil rigs, retail merchandise and other items to gather critical data. The data gathered from these devices can serve myriad purposes.
When you buy a new lightbulb, you know that it's energy efficient and will last for a while because of an. But when you buy an internet-connected lightbulb, there's almost no way of telling if it's secure from hackers.
Underwriters Laboratories, the electronics safety organization, is looking to fix that by introducing. UL is known for its safety , ensuring, for instance, that the charger you bought online isn't a .
Google's USB-C Titan hardware security key works on Android phones too
The key is designed to keep attackers at bay, even if they have your username and password.Hardware security keys are catching on with services from Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Twitter, GitHub and Dropbox to make it harder for attackers to gain access to your account. To use them, you typically have to insert one into a USB port after entering your password. That stops attackers who might have your username and password through a security breach. And it's a step toward dumping passwords altogether, when used in combination with biometric systems like fingerprint and face identification.
IoT involves extending internet connectivity beyond standard devices , such as desktops, laptops IoT device security . The interconnection of traditionally dumb devices raises a number of questions A little more conservative, IHS Markit said the number of connected devices will be 75.4 billion in
Overviews of protocols involved in Internet of Things devices and applications. Help clarify with IoT layer technology stack graphics and head-to-head comparisons. The Internet of Things covers a huge range of industries and use cases that scale from a single constrained device up to massive
Now UL wants to set the security standard for cybersecurity threats -- a notorious issue for IoT devices.
"These days, when you look at products, they have been moving from an analog function to a digital function," said Andrew Jamieson, UL's director of security and technology. "From that context, the security of the software directly affects the safety of the product, so we have to really start thinking about that."
There is no unified standard for connected gadgets, which means that the smart TV you buy could be a hacking concern waiting to get plugged in. Unless you researched all your connected gadgets yourself, there'd be no way of knowing without a standard.
Samsung announces more powerful Exynos processor without built-in 5G
The 7nm Exynos 990 will go into production by the end of the yearWhile it seems strange to see two processors announced in such quick succession, the Exynos 990 seems to be targeted at a slightly different market. VentureBeat notes that it lacks the integrated 5G modem found in the 980, meaning it will be better suited to 4G devices. It’s the faster processor of the two, but Samsung would need to pair it with a separate modem — like the 5G Exynos Modem 5123 that it also announced today — if it wants to use it in a 5G device.
Internet -connected speakers — and in turn, IoT devices — may be exposing information that can be used by attackers in malicious schemes. With all the information fed to internet -connected devices , it is considerably difficult for users to know if these are protected properly by the built - in security that
UL watching IoT developments. Underwriters Laboratories ( UL ), the more-than-century-old industrial In interviews with SearchHealthIT, Anura Fernando, UL 's principal engineer for medical software and The agency's policy essentially says that the devices are low risk and do not need FDA approval
Connected devices are expected to sell up to, and without security standards, it leaves massive potential for hackers to take over devices and use them for cyberattacks. In 2016, hackers took advantage of to launch one of the largest cyberattacks ever, causing widespread internet outages.
A 2018 Worldwide Threat Assessment from Robert Ashley, director of the US Defense Intelligence Agency, warned that weak security on IoT devices posed one of theto national security.
Lawmakers have proposed, and experts have suggested like what UL plans to roll out.
The security standards come in five tiers: diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze.
Netflix is ending support for old devices from Samsung, Roku, and Vizio in December
Everyone needs a set-top box eventuallySamsung says the move will affect its 2010 and 2011 range of TVs, while Cord Cutters News reports Vizio TVs that are four years old or older will lose support. BBC News reports that affected Roku players include the Roku 2050X, Roku 2100X, Roku 2000C, Roku HD Player, Roku SD Player, Roku XR Player and Roku XD Player.
The Internet of Things ( IoT ) is a system of interrelated computing devices , mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs)
IoT protocols and standards transfer data between IoT devices ✓ They are means of communication between connected objects and LAN (Local Area Network) — a network covering the area of one building . Most Popular Internet of Things Protocols, Standards and Communication Technologies.
They are given based on seven requirements: software updates, data and cryptography, logical security, system management, customer identifiable data, protocol security, and process and documentation.
Each requirement has its own checklist of security practices. For example, to get the bare minimum verification under data and cryptography, your device can't have default passwords. To get the diamond verification, your device would need to be protected from brute-force attacks -- when hackers spam password attempts until the correct one is chosen.
UL laid out its standards and requirements in a.
Jamieson noted that only a small percentage of available IoT products would meet that diamond standard and that many connected devices currently on the market might not even meet UL's minimum standards. It's not a reflection of UL's strict requirements, but rather how poor the security is on the majority of IoT devices.
"The commercial pressures have not allowed for people to differentiate in security," Jamieson said. "That's resulted in security not being built in, even at the lowest level."
Don't expect to see this on products immediately. UL said that it's working with IoT makers and that the standards are still in the early stages. It expects to be able to make more announcements in the first quarter of 2020.
UL doesn't expect to see changes overnight for IoT security, either. The hope is that as the UL security ratings gain traction, people will be more likely to buy the secured products and push IoT makers to focus more on improving security.
"If people come up and see two TVs, and one is $100 more expensive, but it has the security rating, we're hoping people will decide on the more secure systems," Jamieson said. "It's about finding a way to incentivize companies to build security in."
Your iPhone now serves as a Google security key .
You no longer need Android to use your phone as a Google security key. Google has updated Smart Lock for iOS to let you use your device's "built-in security key" -- that is, the Secure Enclave built into every iOS device with Touch ID or Face ID. From then on, you'll just need your iPhone or iPad nearby (plus your usual password) for two-factor authentication when you sign into Google on a desktop using Chrome. It uses a Bluetooth connection to ensure that it's really you and not some distant intruder.This won't help you authenticate non-Google accounts, of course, and it could be a pain if you're the sort who upgrades devices frequently.


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Major Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corp. has unveiled plans to set up a logistics subsidiary in Myanmar to cash in on the increasingly promising local market and further strengthen its footprint in the entire Southeast Asian region.
04 Feb 2015
The first sailing of MCC Transport’s new direct service between China and Myanmar is on the water as the sister company of Maersk Line moves to capitalise on growing trade between the two nations.
17 Jan 2015
Maersk subsidiary MCC Transport and China Shipping Container Line (CSCL) will both launch direct services between China and Myanmar on Jan. 24 to capitalize on growing trade between the two Asian nations.
31 Dec 2014
After two years of preparations, Nippon Express Co. has set up a subsidiary in Myanmar, formerly called Burma, joining a growing army of Japanese transportation, logistics and other firms aiming to cash in on what is widely seen as Asia’s last frontier market.
22 Dec 2014
Singapore-listed Yoma Strategic Holdings will receive a $100 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to build up Myanmar’s transport and logistics infrastructure urgently needed to create sustainable economic growth.


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During the state of emergency, every little step toward reducing the risk of COVID-19 counts. Providing auto parts is an essential service, as we depend on our vehicles for food, emergencies and possible evacuations. But, if one is to observe recent business at local auto part stores, there seems to be a renewed interest in washing, polishing, waxing and painting cars.
Although local auto part retailers, such as Lordco, did take steps toward controlling the number of people in the store and providing basic sanitizing product, that may not be sufficient to effectively prevent the spread of the virus. A truly meaningful step would be to close all non-essential departments (paint, for example), and focus on their phone and online delivery methods. This is not the time to fix that scratch on the bumper or put in a new air freshener as seems to be so important to so many customers these days. Having well-trained staff, the stores can conduct a basic triage at the front door and send home all those too bored to realize how dangerous it is to go shopping for fun.
tap here to see other videos from our team.
Large retailers have an immense power to curb the epidemic. While we need auto part store employees to stay at that front line, we also need companies to close their non-essential departments and re-task those employees with triaging essential sales, disinfecting their stores and speeding up the transactions.
Every step counts, and a truly dedicated community-oriented retailer has to be willing to do more than the minimum required. We need them now to be community leaders.
M. Heath, Port Coquitlam
Small businesses and COVID-19
In this period of financial instability, small businesses are especially vulnerable to insolvency. With the Lower Mainland’s sky-high commercial rents, combined with today’s severely reduced or nonexistent revenues due to COVID-19 , many of these businesses face an uncertain future.
There have been many wonderful examples in the community of people working together to get through this crisis. Is it not possible for the landlords to offer short-term rent moratoriums to help these businesses?
Paul Spiette, Port Coquitlam
Ideas for these trying times
Since the teachers are expected to return to work on Monday, could they not (at least for elementary grades) make up some worksheets that parents or caregivers could pick up at the school to keep the kids up to date on what they should be working on? Also, in the Downtown Eastside, is there any kind of large emergency trailer/motorhome equipped with showers where people could at least clean up?
Carol Beatch, Burnaby
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(Photo by Flickr user chrisinphilly5448, under a Creative Commons license)
Philly’s favorite bowtie-clad weatherman, Glenn “Hurricane” Schwartz, said there’s a good chance for snow in January so you might want to keep this snow-removal app on hand.
Through unSnow.me, you can get your driveway cleared up through a mobile app which can connect users with an array of service providers. Unlike Eden, the Toronto-based snow removal app we told you about in November, unSnowme’s prices can range quite a bit, since the service lets you choose between professional-grade services and more, er, amateur options.
“Some of the service providers using the app are professional snow removal companies and some are teenagers with shovels waiting for a storm so they can make a few bucks,” a spokesperson for the company said. “The great thing about unSnow.me is that it creates a free market that allows people with snow removal jobs get the best price as possible.”
The company, founded by Rutherford, N.J. native Scott Reimels, had a soft launch last year locally in North New Jersey but formally expanded to Philly on Tuesday, along with 150 other cities in the U.S.-30-
To swipe or not to swipe? How Philadelphians are feeling about virtual pandemic dating
Fairmount Park’s summer scavenger hunts are going virtual. Here’s how to play
A Hilton hotel is opening in Center City with tech upgrades that allow contactless stays
This new app from an exited founder will make COVID-19 screening a touchless process
Sign-up for daily news updates from Technical.ly Philadelphia


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If you live in a major U.S. city, you're probably accustomed to a new cocktail bar opening every day. But it takes a lot of $14 drinks to figure out which bar is actually worth frequenting. Details magazine has now done some of the work for you.
The February 2013 issue includes a feature on the best new bars in America, which includes advice for where to go for the best specialty bars or the local favorites.
We've highlighted the best new cocktail bars below. Take a look (all text courtesy of Details):


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Mobile phone operator Vodafone wants to end a three-year exclusive deal with Phones 4U and return to Carphone Warehouse.
According to reports, Vodafone is understood to be planning to re-open talks with Carphone Warehouse within the next few weeks to get its contract offering back into its stores.
Vodafone UK chief executive Guy Lawrence admitted to the Guardian that the operator’s decision to sign an exclusive deal with third-party mobile phone retailer Phones 4U in October 2006 had not worked.
He said: “It was a decision we took some time ago in the hope that it would provide some kind of changes in the overall distribution pattern in the UK. That did not happen.”
Vodafone said yesterday that it expected profits to be flat at best this year after it was forced to wipe £5.9bn from the value of its Spanish, Turkish and Ghanaian businesses. Annual pre-tax profits more than halved to £4.2bn.


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The company's stock market debut was done via a direct listing — where no shares were sold ahead of the opening.
Founded in 2012, the San Francisco-based firm has over 56 million users across the globe, and an estimated $223 billion in crypto-assets on its platform — 11.3% of the crypto-asset market share.
In Q1 2021, Coinbase drew in over $1.8 billion revenues with profits amounting between $730 million - $800 million as Bitcoin more than doubled in price.
A large part of Coinbase's rise in revenues were attributed to transaction fees when users purchased cryptocurrencies at higher prices.
Coinbase's stock opened at $381 per share, up 52.4% from Tuesday's reference price of $250 per share.
The company was valued at $86 billion at the end of Wednesday, with valuations peaking $112 billion during trading hours.
"We're just very grateful to be able to bring transparency to the crypto economy, the ecosystem that we've all been building over the last 10 years," Coinbase Chief Financial Officer Alesia Haas said in an interview.
World's leading digital currency company
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March 6, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Solenis TopScreen™ recyclable and compostable barrier coatings technology replaces plastic liners for fiber to-go cups.
WILMINGTON, Delaware (USA) — Solenis has been named as one of only 12 winners in the NextGen Cup Challenge, a global innovation competition backed by giants of the food-service industry to redesign and create a widely recyclable and/or compostable fiber hot and cold to-go cup. The Challenge attracted nearly 500 entries from more than 50 countries.
Solenis received the award in the Innovative Cup Liners category for its TopScreen™ recyclable and compostable barrier coatings technology.
Solenis TopScreen barrier coatings are suitable for packaging applications that require specific liquid/moisture vapor barrier properties and can replace barriers composed of polyethylene (PE). In the same family are formulations designed to replace perfluorocarbon (PFC) in a variety of applications where grease resistance and moisture vapor barrier properties are required.
TopScreen formulations are produced with a minimum or no fossil fuel components and a maximum of sustainably sourced raw materials. Ideal as a more sustainable and cost-effective barrier option for PE-free cups, Solenis TopScreen barrier coatings can be used to produce fully recyclable and repulpable paper and paperboard packaging. TopScreen barrier coatings can be applied on paper machine coaters or offline coating equipment, providing flexibility for cup makers and utilization of existing cup-making equipment. As a truly global materials supplier, Solenis is uniquely positioned to implement the TopScreen barrier coating solution for paper cups anywhere in the world.
More than 250 billion fiber to-go cups are used annually. The PE lining that keeps them from leaking also prevents them from being recycled or composted. Instead, they wind up in landfills or waterways, contributing to the growing plastics pollution problem.
The NextGen Cup Challenge was initiated by the NextGen Consortium, a multi-year partnership of leading food-service industry players convened by Closed Loop Partners to address single-use food packaging waste globally.
This is outstanding recognition for the great work done over the past several years by our research and development team, said Larry Hutchinson, Solenis global market development manager for Consumer Board. The demand for a more sustainable paper cup is growing worldwide and this award confirms that Solenis is among the leaders in providing an immediate and viable solution.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
Vice President, Corporate Communications


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When Laneige launched at Sephora US in 2017, its K-beauty identity was front and centre.
The Amorepacific-owned brand was featured in the retailer’s K-beauty endcap, a K-beauty menu bar section and multiple K-beauty campaigns. But half a decade later, hype around the category had faded, according to Julien Bouzitat, US brand general manager for Laneige and sister brand Innisfree.
“The first time, it was very successful,” he said. “The second time, not as great … [Sephora’s] takeaway was that the first wave of K-beauty had gone away.”
The K-beauty craze emerged in the US around 2012 with the rise of BB cream, and spurred countless subsequent beauty trends such as sheet masks, 10-step skin care routines and blemish patches. In the mid- to late 2010s, K-beauty fervour was so high that imported labels like Laneige and Tony Moly quickly faced competition from major US brands launching copycat products as well as from new K-beauty-inspired startups like Glow Recipe, Then I Met You and Peach & Lily.
But as K-beauty went mainstream, brands’ use of the term as a selling point died down — until now. Korean brands have TikTok to thank. The hashtag #kbeauty has 9.5 billion views on TikTok. The term “Korean glass skin,” a K-beauty trend that was popular in 2017, saw 134 percent year-over-year growth on TikTok over a six-month period ending April 30, according to data science company Spate and market research firm Circana. Sales of products that help users achieve the Korean “glass skin” look have risen, too. The viral Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence is now the number one best-selling beauty product on Amazon after taking off on TikTok. The brand said it has now sold 15 million bottles as of September.
While K-Beauty’s original heyday was driven in part by gimmick marketing and attention-grabbing packaging, its resurgence is due to a new “skintellectual” age group being drawn to product efficacy. Moreover, affordable price points are encouraging cost-conscious and dupe-obsessed shoppers to buy.
“There’s been a second generation which became more [focused on the] brand-building aspect of K-beauty and this Korean skincare expertise,” said Bouzitat.
The Wave Recedes
Since the 1990s, Hallyu — the “Korean wave” — has been growing outside South Korea’s borders, as the South Korean government encouraged international exports globally. The 2010s saw an influx of Korean culture and products, especially entertainment and beauty. US-based Sephora and Ulta Beauty stocked up on Korean beauty brands, while beauty conglomerates acquired them. In 2018, L’Oréal purchased K-beauty brand 3CE parent company Nanda, while the Estée Lauder Companies bought Dr. Jart+ in 2019.
“It took skin care to a whole other level. I don’t think it will ever be the same, thanks to the influence of K-beauty,” said Lindsay Ullman, co-founder of beauty consulting firm The View from 32 and a former merchandising executive at Sephora.
But its popularity kicked off an influx of K-beauty inspired brands stateside. Soko Glam and Peach & Lily both started as e-tailers selling imported K-beauty products before their founders, Charlotte Cho and Alicia Yoon, respectively, expanded with their own skin care brands. Quickly, legacy brands like Lancôme and Clinique began introducing their own versions of BB creams, sheet masks or cleansing oils.
Momentum slowed in the 2020s. Estée Lauder Companies reported in August that Dr. Jart+’s net sales declined during the 2023 fiscal year. In the US, Sephora stopped stocking at least 10 K-beauty brands that it sold in the late 2010s, including Too Cool for School, Neogen, Amorepacific and Son & Park, and no longer highlights its K-beauty section on its homepage. Amorepacific’s profits plunged by 28.5 percent in 2022. Even upstarts like Glow Recipe and Hero Cosmetics, that once traded on being K-beauty-inspired brands, stopped using the term in their marketing and communications.
An Influencer-Led Renaissance
It’s not the multi-step routine tutorials — which were the hallmark of 2010s K-beauty — driving the category’s comeback. Instead, it’s individual viral product crazes sparked by influencers and celebrities.
K-beauty sunscreens with formulas that don’t have a white cast, for example, have been a hit with influencers. Innisfree’s Daily UV Defense sunscreen, which went viral on TikTok, was explicitly cited as one of the top-selling products driving Amorepacific Group’s North America growth this year. Beauty of Joseon’s Relief Sun sunscreen has received 587 million views on TikTok, driven by influencers like Ava Lee, who is working on a collaboration with the brand planned for release in 2024. While the product is not yet approved by the FDA for sale in the US, customers have tried to find workarounds, ordering from cross-border websites or unverified Amazon sellers.
Meanwhile, Laneige is seeing double-digit sales growth in the US, said Bouzitat. The brand has been a hit on TikTok for the past two years thanks in part to its ASMR product videos and high-profile brand ambassador, “Euphoria” actress Sydney Sweeney. The efforts the brand has made on TikTok are part of a broader North America marketing push on the part of Amorepacific Group, which also launched a rebrand campaign for luxury brand Sulwhasoo this year. The company also returned to profitability in the second quarter of 2023, reporting that overseas revenue grew 27 percent, boosted by 105 percent growth in North America.
Unlike prestige predecessors, affordable K-beauty brands have become a draw for TikTok’s dupe-obsessed young shoppers. Beauty influencer Stephanie Valentine, known on TikTok as Glamzilla, prompted a sell out of Innisfree’s Dewy Glow Moisturizer when she offered it as a dupe for Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream Plumping & Hydrating Moisturizer. Within 48 hours, the item sold out at Sephora US and Canada as well as on the brand’s website.
“Innovation, no matter what category you’re talking about, clients are going to always be excited about that,” said Ullman. “Korean skin care is such an innovative player, so as long as they keep coming out with new formats, new textures, new ways to talk about skin care, there’s opportunity.”


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The West Virginia Small Business Development Center (WV SBDC), a division of the West Virginia Department of Economic Development, is excited to announce William J. “Bill” Woodrum as the new coordinator of the West Virginia Entrepreneurship Network.
In this position, Woodrum will be overseeing a new initiative known as the West Virginia BusinessLink, which will soon be a one-stop, online location for resources in the state available to entrepreneurs and business owners, including existing businesses, start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs.
Before joining the West Virginia Department of Economic Development with WV SBDC, Woodrum served as director of entrepreneurship at the Robert C. Byrd Institute of Marshall University. He supported a range of programs in agriculture, the maker movement, entrepreneurship and economic development. Woodrum worked with service providers to enhance the entrepreneurship ecosystem in West Virginia and Central Appalachia.
Read more at WVSDC:


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Well, this is just gross.
According to a warning released by the VA, scam artists have been targeting veterans over the telephone. They claim to be VA workers, telling victims that the VA has new procedures regarding prescriptions, and that they need the veterans’ credit card information.
Of course, the VA will never call veterals asking for credit card numbers or any other personal information.
It just illustrates the Number One Rule of Fraud Prevention:
Never give any personal information to an unsolicited caller, no matter who they claim to be.
If you have friends, family or neighbors who are veterans (especially elderly veterans), make sure they know about this scam, and that they know not to give out personal information.
The source for this post is “Scam targets veterans’ credit card info, VA warns,” published at CNN.com on 9/18/09.


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Milestone for equity crowdfunding in Australian with ASIC licence approval
OnMarket will be one of the first businesses in Australia to raise capital this year through ‘the crowd’, following the Australian Securities and Investments Commission’s approval of its equity crowdfunding licence.
Equity crowdfunding brings entrepreneurs and retail investors together for the first time and is only now possible following today’s licence approval. Equity crowdfunding enables Australian retail investors to contribute as little as $50, or as much as $10,000 in a business. The new licenses follow federal legislation announced last year.
OnMarket will bring investment opportunities through Australian businesses to ordinary Australians through its online platform and app. Investors will be connected to Australian businesses like Revvies, which makes innovative caffeine strips to support the nation’s athletes. OnMarket is also in discussions with a leading Medicinal Cannabis company to raise over $2 million via equity crowdfunding.
The businesses will make history as the first in Australia to raise capital through equity crowdfunding this year.
OnMarket founder and CEO Ben Bucknell said the approval marked a significant milestone for Australian businesses and retail investors alike.
“It’s time all Australians had a fair go and access to Australian businesses of the future. Previously, investing in businesses like Revvies would only be accessible to angel investors or venture capital firms but through equity crowdfunding investment democratisation is here to stay,” Mr Bucknell said.
“Equity crowdfunding is an innovative way to fund someone else’s dream,” he said.
Equity crowdfunding is already worth $US2.6 billion in the United States, and is proving popular in the United Kingdom and New Zealand as a way for entrepreneurs to succeed. Equity crowdfunding was only established in the UK in 2013 and last year had grown to £272m in the UK.
Australia has more than 1.2 million entrepreneurs employing two thirds of the country’s 12 million workers, and already contributes more than $343 billion to the economy annually, so the opportunity from equity crowdfunding is significant.
Unlike rewards based crowdfunding, which is essentially an advance payment for a product or a gift, equity crowdfunding allows investors to have an ongoing connection by owning part of the company.
It is estimated that 200,000 small and medium sized Australian businesses have difficulty growing because banks won’t lend them money.
According to Macquarie research, Australian entrepreneurs want to borrow up to $60 billion a year more than they currently are allowed, to grow their businesses, hire new staff and innovate.
OnMarket has enabled investors to access more than 80 IPOs. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull launched the platform shortly after becoming Prime Minister in September 2015.
Mr Bucknell said “Young Aussies, in particular, want to make a difference and invest in businesses they believe in. In a recent survey, 79% of millennials described themselves as impact investors seeking both financial and social return.
“Likewise, Australian entrepreneurs are some of the most inventive in the world, but banks won’t lend them the money to get their businesses off the ground. Equity crowdfunding solves that problem,” Mr Bucknell said.
Under the new Australian Government rules, unlisted companies with less than $25 million in assets and revenue will be able to source up to $5 million a year through equity crowdfunding.
Australians interested in equity crowdfunding, can find out more information from the OnMarket website: www.onmarket.com.au.
 Source: Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance December 2017
 Macquarie Equities Research note 10 March 2015
 Toniic, Millennials Impact Investment,’ 2016


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Dicker Data has delivered a record revenue of $457 million for the 2012 financial year - up 18.5 per cent on the previous year's revenue of $385 million.
In it's annual report Dicker stated the strong revenue growth was primarily driven by the improved logistics capacity that its new purpose built warehouse provided.
This was not available for the full period in the corresponding year.
The company relocated to the new facility in 2010.
It also stated that revenue growth could be attributed to growth in new vendors Asus, Buffalo and Lenovo for which a full 12 months was not reflected in the previous corresponding period.
The company also managed to increase market share with its existing vendors.
Profit before tax was $12.265 million, up 39.6 per cent on the previous year's $8.79m.
Net profit after tax amounted to $8.276m, an increase of 35 per cent on the previous year's $6.132m.
In his CEO commentary in the report, David Dicker said the results showed a very solid improvement from last year.
"The economic conditions have probably been more difficult but the tremendous performance by our employees and management team have allowed us to improve on the previous year. Despite the economic conditions the results are the best ever reported, reflecting consistent strong performance
Dicker noted the company was adding 5000sqm to its existing warehouse of 4000sqm.
He also took a shot at analysts: "However despite the results, we continue to struggle with the analyst community,"he said. "I am constantly told that our dividends are too high, we do not have índependent' directors and there are not enough shares with the public. Rather than discuss that with detail I will just say that our results speak loudly and I am very comfortable with our strategies.
"We expect to increase the public holding in DDR to 15 per cent this year."


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You can buy or sell DoorDash and other stocks, options, and ETFs commission-free!
DoorDash, Inc. engages in the design, development, and operation of a food delivery and logistics platform. It serves consumers in the United States, Canada, and Australia.
San Francisco, California
52 Week High
52 Week Low
Yahoo FinanceApr 11
More than just food: DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats adapted to COVID-19, now plot next moves
Delivery apps, which have seen explosive growth during the COVID-19 pandemic, are continuing to adapt to consumer demands for food, grocery items and other nece
Yahoo FinanceApr 9
Here's how DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats have adapted — and thrived — amid pandemic
Yahoo Finance's Alexandra Canal breaks down how COVID-19 has impacted the delivery space. Video Transcript AKIKO FUJITA: Shares of Deliveroo slumping yet agai
— per share
Available May 13, After Hours


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R.A. Long alum earns his excellence
“This is one of the first shirts we came up with. That was March 2013,” said Roberto Gonzalez, founder of E.Y.E. Clothing.
Gonzalez flipped through pictures on his iPhone, each photo featuring a different design and a different point of his nascent clothing line’s history. The company’s acronym stands for “Earn Your Excellence,” a motto that Gonzalez lives by.
The design he points to as his first is pretty basic — a bright blue umbrella protects the phrase “Earn Your Excellence” from a few large raindrops. The company and designs have come a long way since Gonzalez first started playing with the Microsoft Paint program during his senior year of high school at R.A. Long.
Gonzalez, 22, never knew he wanted to be a designer and hadn’t touched Photoshop until recently. But he did know he wanted to start something big.
“Deep down since I was a kid I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur and I wanted to be my own boss,” Gonzalez said on Monday. “I didn’t think about a clothing line.”
He also thought about being a logger, “because my dad was a logger for 25 years, but I didn’t really know what I wanted to do,” Gonzalez said. But once the idea of making designs for clothes came to him, he couldn’t let go of it.
Now he’s selling products online, through word of mouth, and sells his products through Bulldog Sk8 on 14th Avenue in Longview. Most recently he’s begun conversations with Freedom Market and hopes to sell his products there in the next couple of months.
It’s an exciting time full of change for Gonzalez.
Next month, E.Y.E. Clothing will roll out a full fall line of clothes, including hoodies, hats, and long sleeved shirts. This will also be the first clothes bearing designs Gonzalez hasn’t designed himself. The young entrepreneur has used Instagram to connect with artists whose work he enjoys and wants to put on his clothing.
One such image, created by Utah-based designer Beau Lindstrom is called “Tri-Squatch,” and features the Northwest’s notorious “Sasquatch” with three eyes and glares luridly from within a triangle.
E.Y.E.’s shirts are on the less-expensive end for designer apparel, going for $15 to $20 a piece, while with hoodies are about $40. The clothing mainly features a Pacific Northwest theme, and often bears the company’s triangular “eye” logo.
When asked about goals for the next five years, Gonzalez said he has already set them. He hopes to have two brick-and-mortar stores full of his clothing, in Portland and likely Seattle. He won’t consider the job done until his presence is felt worldwide, with upwards of 40 stores, he said.
For the time being, Gonzalez has all of his designs printed locally at Screen Printing Northwest in Longview. He hopes to keep it that way for as long as possible. “I like to keep it local,” Gonzalez said. The young entrepreneur was raised in Longview his entire life and still thinks about his future in relation to his family. Eventually he realizes he’ll have to move to a big city to grow his business even further.
“I don’t want to leave my family… But then again you gotta make those sacrifices to get where you want to be.”


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PODCAST: Tight supply dominates Europe R-PET market
BARCELONA–Supply shortages have pushed prices up in Europe’s recycled polyethylene terephthalate (R-PET) market amid a mixed demand picture.
- Supply shortages drive higher prices for R-PET in Europe in the short term
- Bale prices rise amid constrained availability, limited relief expected in summer
- Mixed picture for beverage demand with more travel versus rising inflation and lower disposable incomes
- Brand commitment to recycled content remains strong but content rates reassessed
Listen to ICIS analysts Helen McGeough, Carolina Perujo Holland and Egor Dementev discuss latest market conditions in Europe’s recycled PET markets.


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Which athletic brand is gaining market share? Year-over-year online purchase analysis
A decade ago, Lululemon’s supreme popularity created a new market for yoga apparel. While the company still maintains brand-name recognition — Lululemon is almost a generic trademark for yoga pants — a new crop of brands like Athleta and Kate Hudson’s Fabletics have been gaining momentum.
To understand which brand is dominating the online market and whether Lululemon is losing steam, we analyzed the market share of the leading athletic wear brands, based on online purchases. We found that Athleta and Fabletics have the biggest rivalry, as they directly compete for the largest share of online purchases. Read on for our full data-driven shopping analysis.
Lululemon is losing market share to the new activewear brands
We analyzed online sales of the four leading women’s athletic wear brands – Athleta, Fabletics, Lululemon, and Prana – in the US between January and October 2016. We then compared the online activity to the same time period in 2015 to detect each brand’s market share and year-over-year trends. We found that Athleta and Fabletics came in first and second for market share in 2015 and 2016, respectively, while Lululemon has consistently claimed third place.
Athleta and Fabletics have the highest share of purchases, accounting together for 73 percent of US online purchases in 2015 and 2016. However, while Fabletics’ market share grew by 17 percent in 2016, Athleta saw a 15 percent YoY decrease. Every month from January to October 2016, Fabletics gained significant market share on Athleta, driving Fabletics to the top spot.
Lululemon came in third and saw a 10 percent decrease in market share from 2015. Between January and October 2016, Lululemon only accounted for 18 percent of the market share. Prana came in last with a 7 percent market share in 2016, following a 12 percent YoY increase.
|Jan – Oct 2015||41%||32%||20%||6%|
|Jan- Oct 2016||35%||38%||18%||7%|
When comparing changes in market share by month we found that only one brand saw consistent YoY growth: Fabletics. Since May 2016, Fabletics has experienced double digit growth in market share which peaked in August when the brand saw a 37 percent YoY increase. On the flip side, Athleta saw YoY decreases every month in its share of purchases.
What else? In October 2016, Lululemon gained market share for the first time. Prana experienced the largest YoY growth in market share among all four brands, and gained 63 percent in YoY market share in July.
Here’s the full breakdown of YoY changes to brand market share on a monthly bases:
Bottom line: Our market share analysis for women’s athletic wear brands’ online sales yielded unique insights on the yearly and monthly level. While Fabletics and Athleta lead for market share in 2016, a month-by-month analysis reveals that Fabletics has consistently gained traction throughout the year, while Athleta has lost market share with every passing month. This just goes to show that yearly round-ups can indicate the direction of a company, but granular information might reveal opposing trends, as in the case of Athleta.


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Often used in solvents, benzene and n-hexane can reportedly cause cancer and nerve damage, if not handled properly.
In what appears to be a significant step by Apple to improve worker safety, the company has decided to stop using benzene and n-hexane - chemicals known to cause cancer and nerve damage - on its popular products.
Don't Miss: The best Deal on a new Samsung Galaxy S8
According to the Associated Press, Apple will ban the use of the two chemicals during the final assembly phase of its iPhones and iPads. Earlier this year, activist groups China Labor Watch and Green America launched a petition campaign urging Apple to banish benzene and n-hexane in its production process.
Apple responded by conducting a four-month investigation at 22 of its factories. It found that the chemicals weren't used in 18 factories. Moreover, the amounts of the chemicals discovered at the four factories were within acceptable safety levels.
In spite of the results, Apple decided to ban the use of the chemicals during the final assembly (note: final). Apple is also requiring the rest of its factories around the world to undergo testing. Often used in solvents, benzene and n-hexane can reportedly cause cancer and nerve damage.
In a statement, Apple's Vice President of Environmental Initiatives said that Apple is doing everything it can to crack down chemical exposures.
"We think it's really important that we show some leadership and really look toward the future by trying to use greener chemistries," she told the Associated Press.
However, it's worth noting that Apple will still use the chemicals during the early production of its products (note: early). Apple will solve this by lowering the maximum amount of benzene and n-hexane, reports the Associated Press.
Nevertheless, activists have branded the decision as a good step.
"This is a good first step. I hope they will continue to remove the most dangerous chemicals to human health or find ways to reduce the exposure," said Elizabeth O'Connell, a campaign director at Green America.
Source: Associated Press


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EA Canada’s reboot of SSX will receive a demo at some point before the game’s launch early next year, it has been confirmed.
“Yeah, there are plans. But I haven’t been told when that’s going to happen,” said producer Sean Smillie, during an interview with TheGamingLiberty (via VG247).
Smillie also touched on why the developers dropped the Deadly Descents subtitle, revealing it was ditched because it didn’t adequately represent the three pillars of gameplay.
“It sort of has to do with the three pillars of gameplay I’ve always mentioned,” he explained.
“With Deadly Descents, we were trying to get across that we had something new and different to do in SSX. I think the messaging was misguided. With Deadly Descents it sort of focused on “Survive It”, but what it didn’t do was reassure people that yes, we are still doing race and trick too. The other parts of the game weren’t being represented properly, so we dropped Deadly Descents and just went with SSX.”
SSX is currently in development for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 and will be released in January 2012.


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Recently, the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade (MTBOT) launched a campaign to modernize the yellow taxi brand.
In support of the “Ride Yellow” campaign, Verifone Taxi Systems, which now operates Curb, donated space on more than 600 Taxi Tops in New York City to ensure the “Ride Yellow” advertising campaign is seen. They also provided free ad space on Taxi TV, guaranteeing the accompanying video ad will play in the backseats of 11,000+ taxis.
Verifone is committed to supporting the taxi industry – drivers and riders alike – and will continue to spread the word about Ride Yellow and its mission to revolutionize the taxi brand.
Join the effort! If you’re heading to New York City, be sure to #RideYellow and then tweet @gocurb to tell us about your experience!


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12 July 2006 | Rebecca Ellinor
Large retailers stand accused of "abusing their buying power" by passing on costs to suppliers to ease difficult trading times.
In a speech to the Association of Credit Professionals this week, Nick Goulding, chief executive of the Forum of Private Business (FPB), is expected to call for tighter control on poor payment practices.
Ahead of the speech, Goulding said in a statement that suppliers to supermarkets and high-street retailers are increasingly the victims of unscrupulous behaviour.
"There is no protection for these companies who live in fear of large customers taking away their trade should they refuse to comply," he said. "It is wholly unacceptable that these unfair practices go on unchecked, they are abuses of buying power."
The FPB is currently representing suppliers of Matalan and New Look in disputes over payment terms. Asda, Marks & Spencer and Halfords have also come in for criticism for their treatment of suppliers.
Under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act firms are entitled to a Statutory Right to Interest (SRI) at 8 per cent above the base rate for late payment of commercial debt. However, under current legislation, applying SRI is optional.
Goulding said he hoped the review of the Late Payment Directive would examine the possibility of making SRI mandatory.


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COLUMBUS, Ohio — House Bill 535, also known as the CROWN Act, was reintroduced to the Ohio General Assembly in July by State Rep. Juanita Brent to stop race-based hair discrimination in the workplace.
The bill’s nickname comes from the acronym Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair. In early 2021, a dozen states and several cities across the U.S. including Columbus passed the act.
The measure follows a worldwide natural hair movement pushing women and men of different ethnicities to embrace natural styles like dreadlocks, braids, and curls instead of applying chemicals to their hair.
Women’s and Gender Studies Professor at Ohio State University Treva Lindsey said the practice of Black people changing their natural hair texture began hundreds of years ago around the time of slavery.
“How does one protect one’s hair under the grueling conditions of enslavement?” Lindsey began. “So, you have people who wear headscarves, people who figure out patterns to keep their hair protected amidst these grueling conditions in these inhumane conditions of the time that were slavery… Hair became this place of saying how do you care for yourself in a system that does not care about me?”
Lindsey said as the 1800s came to an end, more black people entered the working world, feeling pressured to conform to the mainstream hairstyles worn by white women.
“You put some grease, you hold your ear down when you’re getting your hair pressed but to get that finished look as it was called, a polished look, something that was deemed respectable,” Lindsey said.
The straightening of black hair allowed some women like Madam CJ Walker to capitalize off the hot comb and other straightening products. During the 20th century, Lindsey said thousands of black manufacturers entered the hair space.
“Companies like Johnson and Johnson and Proctor and Gamble, these major conglomerates, saw the value and how much money was being made in black hair industries and started buying pieces up.”
As the number of black-owned hair manufacturers began to shrink, the natural hair movement of the 1960s and 1970s pushed natural styles into the spotlight for the first time.
Products like Shea Moisture, Mielle Organics and Miss Jessies began appearing in multicultural sections in stores nationwide.
In Columbus, local product LivSo was created by Dermatologist Shari Hicks-Graham to help bridge the gap between what her clients need medically and cosmetically.
“I had a lot of patients who suffered with dry itchy scalp, but also who has textured hair, hair like mine that was perhaps a little bit curlier and drier at times and a lot of the shampoos that are prescribed for the issue of dry scalp… often would dry out hair like mine, curly hair that’s thick,” Hicks-Graham said.
Hicks-Graham worked with a chemist to find the best ingredients for her clients so they could continue growing healthy natural hair. It’s one product of several supporting the natural hair movement pushing measures like the CROWN Act forward.
“It’s establishing a legal precedent for saying his is illegal to discriminate against people, it provides a platform or a point of departure for richer conversation. We want people to see I come to this as a professional because my work, my hair can be professional because I am a professional. That’s it,” professor Lindsey said.


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If you are an Australian, rejoice! Because vidoegames now have an R18+ rating, which means if you are an adult, you will be treated like one, and will be able to buy those games without the government saying they’re bad for you.
The legislation to approve the rating was passed in June, and it came into effect in December, which shows that their political process actually is quite fast.
“We’ve actually achieved a good balance where in effect MA15+ has become more restrictive and games that previously would have been in MA15+ are now going to be sitting in R18+,” South Australia’s Attorney-General, John Rau, said.
“It’s a win for the gamers who wanted to have the opportunity as adults to purchase these games, but it’s also a win for parents because they can be more confident that games that are age-inappropriate will not be available to people under 18.”
However, there’s a catch according to Mr. Rau.
“The regime still contemplates that some games will be so unsatisfactory that they will be refused classification altogether. Now, that will continue.”
So a good way to bypass the laws and refuse classification? Sounds great.


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A global personal care brand has lost an advertising contract after one of its executives was alleged to have told colleagues "we don't do gay".
The comments are believed to have been made by an executive working for Nivea, leading to global advertising agency Foote, Cone & Belding (FCB) announcing it will resign its account with the brand at the end of the year.
Allegations have been made that Nivea, which partners Liverpool FC, rejected a pitched image of two men's hands touching during a conference call with FCB.
According to marketing trade publication Ad Age, it's understood an executive for the personal care brand, which is an official partner of the club, said "we don't do gay at Nivea".
A spokeswoman for Beiersdorf, the German firm that owns Nivea, called the allegations "unsubstantiated speculation", but said it took the matter "seriously" and was investigating.
She told the ECHO that the firm had "zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind".
A confidential memo sent to staff by FCB global CEO Carter Murray and published in full by Ad Age said: "There comes a point in every long-term relationship when you reflect on what you've accomplished together and set your sails for where your journey will take you next.
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"Sometimes that journey ahead demands tough choices that lead down different paths."
He added that the decision came after "much reflection and discussion on our creative ambitions", and that Nivea represented 1% of its global revenues.
The new Nivea Men advert released in March:
The statement continued: "It is my hope that in reflecting on the incredible journey we've had with Nivea around the world and in your markets, you take pride in what we accomplished together and come to respect the many difficult factors we had to carefully weigh to take this step."
A statement made by a Beiersdorf spokeswoman to the ECHO said: "The reported allegation, coming from an anonymous source, is absolutely against the values of Beiersdorf, our brands, and our employees worldwide.
"We are strongly committed to diversity, mutual respect, and equal opportunity – this stance and belief is shared and lived throughout Beiersdorf.
"There is and will be zero tolerance for discrimination of any kind at Beiersdorf. We are an international company with more than 20,000 employees in over 100 countries worldwide.
"Appreciating and respecting individuality and inclusion has a long tradition at our organization.
"We take the matter seriously and are investigating it but ask for understanding that we don’t comment further on unsubstantiated speculations."
She also said Nivea had, at the start of the year, launched its new corporate care strategy, adding: "This is now the right time also for a new beginning in NIVEA’s brand management and creative work."
LFC was asked if the news would affect its relationship with Nivea.
FCB was also contacted for further comment.


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by Amy Sherman
Updated 5 yearss ago
South Florida has international business experts, multimillionaires and hip urban neighborhoods that lure young workers. But while the region generates plenty of startup businesses, it hasn’t become a hub where those startups grow and flourish.
The south Florida metropolitan area, in fact, ranks first among the 40 largest metro areas in the rate of startup activity, but a lowly 36th out of 40 on a different measure that captures growth, according to the Kauffman Index of Entrepreneurship.
Finance veteran Clara Bullrich and tech expert Laura González-Estéfani, both with global experience, see opportunity. In 2017, they founded a company called Venture City as a platform to link entrepreneurs, investors, experts and academics to boost growth for tech startups — and establish Miami as a tech hub on a par with others.
“We saw Silicon Valley, New York and Tel Aviv as typical tech hubs. We wanted to be able to flourish emerging hubs in technology,” says Bullrich. “We think there are a lot of founders and expertise and intelligence in those emerging hubs that haven’t been tapped into.”
Bullrich and González-Estéfani had discussed ideas for years before merging their knowledge of the finance and tech sectors. Bullrich was a managing partner for Guggenheim Partners Latin America/LJ Partnerships while González-Estéfani was an executive at Facebook.
“My idea was really to be able to invest in tech, but the idea Laura had was a much bigger one and a more, of course, sexy idea,” Bullrich says. “What she wanted to do was build a platform that could really accelerate the tech ecosystem.”
The co-founders started Venture City with their own money and with funds from investors.
Venture City seeks to identify what the founders call “iguanacorns” — smaller versions of “unicorns,” a term that top venture capitalists use to refer to fast-growing startups with valuations of $1 billion. “We saw talent, born in south Florida — and with so many iguanas all over the place — maybe not unicorns but we have iguanacorns,” González-Estéfani says.
The startups they work with are at different stages: Cabify, a Madridbased ride-sharing company, is already valued at $1 billion; Optimus Ride, a Boston self-driving vehicle company, expects to start carrying passengers this year. In Florida, Venture City has worked with Boatsetter, a boat rental company; Fast Mind, a social gaming intelligence platform; Above & Beyond, a global financial company; and RecargaPay, a mobile wallet and payment platform.
Venture City ditched the model in which investors take equity up front. Instead, it takes equity along the way.
“If you really want to work with the best of the best, they need to see that you also have some skin in the game,” González-Estéfani says. “We are taking the risk just as they are.”
Venture City supports a company’s growth over 18 to 36 months with financial strategy, product engineering, marketing and partner connections. So far the accelerator has invested $20 million in 16 startups with plans to invest $100 million over 10 years.
Operating from an office on Lincoln Road in Miami Beach, Venture City has 18 employees in south Florida, Madrid, Sydney, Australia, and Silicon Valley and is considering expanding to Singapore this year.
Jaclyn Baumgarten, CEO of Fort Lauderdale-based Boatsetter, says she isn’t in the accelerator program but has used Venture City as a consultant and investor. Boatsetter has access to 5,000 boats that customers can rent with or without captains in Florida, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and other markets.
She said a key challenge in her business is how to convert online visitors to customers — an area of expertise that Venture City staffers have because they’ve worked for major online companies such as eBay, WhatsApp and Facebook.
“Getting one-on-one time with people with that level of expertise is pretty remarkable,” she says. “When I moved here from Silicon Valley, I was accustomed to being able to tap into Stanford and leverage a broader ecosystem. When I first came here, I felt quite isolated. It is wonderful to now have experts that I can tap as we build our company.”
Changing the ecosystem
Startups can fizzle because they lack financing, management expertise or an understanding of how to identify the market appropriately, says Damian Thorman, vice president and chief innovation officer at Miami Dade College, which has partnered with Venture City to offer a two-year associate’s degree in entrepreneurship.
While Miami hasn’t traditionally provided an ecosystem for startups, Thorman says he sees signs of change.
“I have on a daily basis conversations with Apple, Google, technology companies — they are coming to Miami to look,” he says. “Because of our proximity to Latin America, because of the diversity that Miami represents, people are coming here to get a window into the future.”
Other efforts are underway to help Florida entrepreneurs. In November, multiple partners including the National Urban League, the Urban League of Broward County and Morgan Stanley announced a loan program in Florida for minority-owned businesses.
The Capital Access Fund aims to help sustain businesses that have been in operation for at least 18 months, says Germaine Smith-Baugh, CEO of the Urban League of Broward County.
“Clearly minorities are not void of entrepreneurial spirit — many minorities start businesses completely out of necessity,” she says. “The challenge isn’t the starting of a business; it is the sustaining of a business.”
Jaret L. Davis, co-managing shareholder of Greenberg Traurig’s Miami office, who represents Venture City, says that state government could play a greater role in fostering startups by creating a role such as an Office of Chief Scientist. He points to Israel as a role model for growing tech startups.
“Israel has a stronger connection between government and startups, and that has in part led to their status as the true startup nation,” he says.
While the tech and financial industries are dominated by men, the co-founders of Venture City are more interested in nurturing startups than they are in cultivating status as female trailblazers.
“Nothing is going to stop us from doing this,” González-Estéfani says. “You don’t pay attention to the noise. You do what you do best. I feel that’s the mantra we have at Venture City. Women, men, young, old, Latin, Asian, whatever. Those are limitations. We don’t believe in limitations. Nothing is going to limit us from what needs to be done. We just go and do it.”
Venture City’s Co-Founders
» Career: Previously spent nearly nine years with Facebook in various roles, including leading the growth, mobile and partnerships team for Latin America, spearheading the Internet.org effort to share the internet’s knowledge, and connectivity initiatives from Silicon Valley and later Miami. Before Facebook, she held management roles at eBay, Siemens and Ogilvy Group and cofounded Esplaya.com, the first international beach tourism digital platform.
» Education: Studied at the Universidad Europea de Madrid in Spain, Mass Media & Communications, and a PDD (short of an executive MBA) at Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium.
» Work Philosophy: “I can’t think of one thing I wanted to do in life that I haven’t done. I have made thousands of mistakes. I crashed companies. I have grown companies. I’ve made mistakes with relationships, with friends. I hired the wrong people. I hired the right people. I always did what I thought I needed to be doing at the moment.”
» Personal: Born in Madrid. Lives in Miami with her husband, Eduardo Rebollo, and three children.
» Career: Previously managing partner for Guggenheim Partners Latin America/LJ Partnerships, an independent, privately held multi-family office with assets under management of $5 billion. Guggenheim has branches in Miami, London, Geneva, Lisbon, The Isle of Man, Neuchatel and Hong Kong.
» Education: Trinity College, degree in international business with a minor in finance
» Work Philosophy: “I speak with authenticity, certainty, clarity, empathy and profound magnetism. I am my word. There are no problems — just solutions.”
» Personal: Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Now lives in Miami with her husband, Josue Lain, and two children.
Getting a Venture City Assist
Venture City has helped companies in multiple states and countries. Here are four companies with a presence in south Florida:
Boatsetter / Fort Lauderdale
Boatsetter operates akin to an Airbnb for boats. The company allows people to rent vessels (from a choice of about 5,000) — with or without captains — in Florida, the Caribbean, Mediterranean and other markets.
Fast Mind / Plantation
The company offers a social gaming platform where users can play from anywhere with a single click. Through the platform, FastMind allows gaming apps to increase active users across platforms, boost growth, lower acquisition costs and increase conversion. The app studio has had more than 25 million downloads.
RecargaPay / Miami
The company’s mobile wallet and payment platform is designed for paying personal bills. The company’s platform helps users manage their expenses and pay for utilities, cell-phone and transportation charges, among others, through a centralized app.
Above & Beyond / Key Biscayne
Above & Beyond is a digital platform where financial institutions can shop for tech solutions from many providers. It gives them access to many “fintech” options and lets them test the solutions “under a secure, controlled environment” that won’t compromise their data, it says. Meanwhile, companies that offer financial technology solutions can test their products on the platform to establish a track record. The company is in Miami, Lima, Mexico, Argentina, Singapore and Africa.
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Bella Notte Linens Offers a Family-Friendly ApproachAuthor:Michelle Konstantinovsky
When fashion designer and entrepreneur Kathleen McCoy had the idea to start a family-friendly luxury bedding business two decades ago, she couldn’t have known the endeavor would become a legacy. Twenty-two years later, and McCoy is still finding success through the time-consuming, detail-oriented process of garment dyeing pre-cut and sewn bedding, but now she’s got family by her side.
Joining McCoy at the helm of Bella Notte is her daughter, Taylor Batlin, and niece, Lauren Hill. While the two have been involved in the business since childhood, they’ve only recently been named official partners, securing the company’s evolution into the next generation. Batlin comes onboard as the brand director, overseeing all creative assets and brand strategy, while Hill joins as director of strategy and sustainability, highlighting the company’s dedication to eco-friendly and ethical practices.
Bella Notte’s array of high-design, eclectic offerings are all tinged with a romantic flair thanks to velvet trims, lace patterns, and custom embroidery. The company is all about “slow luxury” (think: the antithesis of “fast fashion). The designs are small-batch dyed in a custom color palette for seamless coordination and all pieces are dyed-to-order. McCoy continues to work with the same dye partner she’s collaborated with since the early days of Bella Notte, and while the linens they create are luxurious, they’re all machine washable and get softer with each cycle.
For more information or to place an order, visit bellanottelinens.com.
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Benny Cuypers, of BelOrta:
“The demand usually falls in June, but asparagus prices remain at a good level”
Many eagerly await the asparagus season every year. For them, the moment when these seasonal vegetables can start to be harvested is always a highlight, but “the white gold” season isn’t a long one. By June, volumes slowly begin to dwindle, and this year’s season already appears to be nearing its end. “The peak in the production has already passed. We have about three more weeks and then it will be as good as over,” says Benny Cuypers, of BelOrta.
“Overall, the productions have been a little smaller than in other years due to the weather being chilly and dark for quite a long time. Moreover, in the last few weeks, when the daytime weather improved, the nights have been cold. As a result, we have not had top productions this year. However, the quality has been fine thanks to this colder weather. The crops have been able to grow steadily; however, proportionally fewer blue asparagus have been delivered as a result.”
Still, the cooperative’s sales division head certainly doesn’t consider this a bad season. “I think we can be satisfied with the pricing over the whole season. Due to the limited volumes and the ever sustained demand, prices have remained at a level that everyone could be satisfied with. Especially now, that the productions are starting to decrease, we see that prices are again increasing somewhat.”
So as far as sales are concerned, there wasn’t much to complain about this season. “Traditionally, asparagus pretty much sells itself on the domestic market. It is a seasonal vegetable par excellence, and everyone looks forward to its arrival, so they usually sell like hot cakes, especially when the productions are a bit disappointing. Moreover, it is well promoted by retailers.”
“It has also gone well with exports. We have had good sales in Germany, France and southern Spain, and now the campaign will slowly dwindle. Based on past data, we can expect both the supply and demand to drop a bit in June, but we will probably be able to keep getting nice prices until the end of the season.”